India may come under pressure from US to sign NPT

UNITED NATIONS: India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel should join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the global pact meant to limit the spread of atomic weapons, a senior US official said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the second day of a two-week meeting of the 189 signatories of the pact, assistant secretary of state Rose Gottemoeller also defended a US-India civilian nuclear deal, which developing nations have complained rewards New Delhi for staying outside the NPT.

"Universal adherence to the NPT itself, including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea remains a fundamental objective of the United States," Gottemoeller told the meeting, which hopes to agree on an agenda and plan to overhaul the treaty at a review conference next year.

Speaking to reporters later, she declined to say whether Washington would take any new steps to press Israel to join the treaty and give up any nuclear weapons it has.

Israel neither confirms nor denies whether it has what arms control experts assume to be a sizable atomic arsenal.

The administration of President Barack Obama was encouraging all holdouts to join the treaty, she said. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have never signed the treaty.

North Korea withdrew from it in 2003 and tested a nuclear device in 2006.

At the NPT meeting, developing countries have criticized the endorsement of the US-India nuclear agreement by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, an informal club of the world's top producers of nuclear-related technology.

The group agreed in September to lift a ban on nuclear trade with India, imposed after New Delhi's first nuclear test in 1974.

Delegates from poor nations complain that the endorsement was tantamount to rewarding India for remaining outside the treaty and secretly developing nuclear weapons.

In contrast, they say, developing states are denied access to sensitive technology because they are often deemed proliferation risks.

NO MENTION OF IRAN
Gottemoeller defended the agreement. "India is coming closer to the non-proliferation regime," she said. She cited India's willingness to work with Washington in pushing for a binding international treaty that would prohibit the further production of bomb-grade nuclear material and by improving its nuclear export controls.

Iran's deputy foreign minister Mohammad Ali Hosseini on Monday railed against the United States and what he said was its continued nuclear support for the "Zionist regime" (Israel).

Western diplomats called this an attempt to divert attention away from its own nuclear program. In failing to mention Iran even once in her speech, Gottemoeller broke from a tradition established by the administration of former President George W. Bush, which had used NPT meetings to criticize Iran and North Korea.

Gottemoeller said that Iran came up indirectly in her statement when she spoke of the need for "consequences for those breaking the rules or withdrawing from the treaty."

Obama has offered Iran's leaders direct talks on a wide range of issues, including its nuclear program. Tehran has reacted coolly to the US overtures nearly three decades after Washington severed ties with Tehran during a hostage crisis.

The West suspects Iran is developing weapons under cover of a civilian atomic energy program, a charge Tehran denies. Gottemoeller also reiterated commitments to disarmament that Obama made in a speech in Prague last month. She said the United States would continue its two-decade long moratorium on testing nuclear explosives and urged others to follow suit.

US can put pressure as much it likes, but whoever comes in power in New Delhi will sign his and his party's death sentence if he signs in NPT.

I'm not fond of having nuclear arsenal myself. But even a layman like me understands the necessity of keeping them as deterrent to Pakistan and even more important - China. I've complete faith that India will never ever use those unless in retaliation of a nuclear attack. Being surrounded by two countries - one openly hostile and another not-so-friendly - with nuclear power doesn't leave us any choice but to have a substantial nuclear arsenal. Heck, I read somewhere Indian nuclear bombs have far less yield than China or Pakistani nuclear bombs!

I often wonder by which right USA can even ask others to get rid off their nuclear arsenal, when at the first place they have the largest number in their arsenal!

Indian nukes were tested in a configuration that could be daisy chained to achieve a max yield of upto 200 kt. When one scientist was asked why we don't have weapons in the megaton range, he said something like, 'there has to be a limit to this madness', and assured the interviewer that 200kt was more than enough, especially in MIRV configuration.

We should not bow our head to sign NPT may what ever the pressure come from the USA, it is simply discriminatory that only five nations in this world will be custodian of the Nuclear stock plies, and held other countries hostage to their demands. I think the Mr. Barak Hussain Obama is worse than Bill Clinton in early 1990s.

Guys understand one thing that we are "officially" unofficial members of the nuke club. This was confirmed by the international community when they endorsed the nuke deal with the US which clearly states that India can have its nukes and also do civilian nuclear trade.
So when the US calls for India to sign the NPT, will that mean an expanded club?

Since the nuke deals the dynamics have changed. Obama voted for the deal. So he has to be clear in his mind that India will continue to have its nuke weapons. We will sign NPT if it becomes N6 from N5.

India will only sign NPT if we are given the same rights under the clause as the other 5 nations. We slaved, suffered and toiled to make sure we acquired the bomb to protect our national interests. If we throw all that away, it will be spitting in the faces of the men and women who sacrificed so much to ensure our safety.

New Delhi: India is unfazed by Washington's call for all countries to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), taking the moral high ground that it was one of the first to suggest universal elimination of nuclear weapons.

US assistant secretary of state Rose Gottemoeller, speaking at the Third Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 NPT Review Conference at the UN headquarters in New York, asked India, Israel on Wednesday, Pakistan and North Korea to come on board to halt the increase of nuclear weapons.At the same time, she deflected criticism from several countries which argued that the India-US civil nuclear agreement reeked ofWashington's double standards.

Gottemoeller defended the agreement saying, "India is coming closer to the non-proliferation regime, and that too is an important goal of the US foreign policy."

"I would say that with regard to India's agreement with the US on peaceful nuclear uses, America has been able to agree with India to undertake a number of activities that would bring it in closer cooperation with other countries in the general non-proliferation regime," she said.

After the conference she spoke of India's willingness to consider a fissile material cut-off and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treat (CTBT).

But India is in no mood to sign the CTBT. India has made it clear that it would not sign the CTBT unless the world moves "categorically towards nuclear disarmament in a credible time-frame".( I ♥ diplomats )

The US had signed the CTBT but never ratified it as President George W Bush's administration was not keen on this. But for the new Democratic dispension of President Barack Obama,non proliferation is a key goal and the White House will push for both the CTBT and the NPT.

Goettmoeller said non proliferation remained high on the agenda for the US. "Universal adherence to the NPT itself, including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea ... remains a fundamental objective of the United States," Gottemoeller told the meeting.
India, Israel and Pakistan had never signed the NPT. North korea did , but later withdrew. While India refuses to sign on the dotted line because it finds the treaty discriminatory, Pakistan refuses to do so because of India.

Though it is known that Israel has nuclear weapons, it has never formally acknowledged the fact and the rest of the world are happy to be hoodwinked.

Indian officials, however, refused to react to the US assistant secretary's comments, saying New Delhi's views on the NPT were well known.

"We are willing to go ahead and sign the NPT provided all countries are ready to work together for the total elimination of weapons of mass destruction," an official said.

If India doesn't want to sign the treaty, let them add the condition that make Pakistan, NK, Israel also sign it and only then we will sign. In this way, we will never have to sign the NPT. . (Just kidding)

Only four recognized sovereign states are not parties to the treaty: India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea. India, Pakistan and North Korea have openly tested and declared that they possess nuclear weapons. Israel has had a policy of opacity regarding its own nuclear weapons program.

Indian nukes were tested in a configuration that could be daisy chained to achieve a max yield of upto 200 kt. When one scientist was asked why we don't have weapons in the megaton range, he said something like, 'there has to be a limit to this madness', and assured the interviewer that 200kt was more than enough, especially in MIRV configuration.

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I admire that scientist.
Sometimes, these small things make so much sense.

New Delhi: India is unfazed by Washington's call for all countries to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), taking the moral high ground that it was one of the first to suggest universal elimination of nuclear weapons.

US assistant secretary of state Rose Gottemoeller, speaking at the Third Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 NPT Review Conference at the UN headquarters in New York, asked India, Israel on Wednesday, Pakistan and North Korea to come on board to halt the increase of nuclear weapons.At the same time, she deflected criticism from several countries which argued that the India-US civil nuclear agreement reeked ofWashington's double standards.

Gottemoeller defended the agreement saying, "India is coming closer to the non-proliferation regime, and that too is an important goal of the US foreign policy."

"I would say that with regard to India's agreement with the US on peaceful nuclear uses, America has been able to agree with India to undertake a number of activities that would bring it in closer cooperation with other countries in the general non-proliferation regime," she said.

After the conference she spoke of India's willingness to consider a fissile material cut-off and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treat (CTBT).

But India is in no mood to sign the CTBT. India has made it clear that it would not sign the CTBT unless the world moves "categorically towards nuclear disarmament in a credible time-frame".( I ♥ diplomats )

The US had signed the CTBT but never ratified it as President George W Bush's administration was not keen on this. But for the new Democratic dispension of President Barack Obama,non proliferation is a key goal and the White House will push for both the CTBT and the NPT.

Goettmoeller said non proliferation remained high on the agenda for the US. "Universal adherence to the NPT itself, including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea ... remains a fundamental objective of the United States," Gottemoeller told the meeting.
India, Israel and Pakistan had never signed the NPT. North korea did , but later withdrew. While India refuses to sign on the dotted line because it finds the treaty discriminatory, Pakistan refuses to do so because of India.

Though it is known that Israel has nuclear weapons, it has never formally acknowledged the fact and the rest of the world are happy to be hoodwinked.

Indian officials, however, refused to react to the US assistant secretary's comments, saying New Delhi's views on the NPT were well known.

"We are willing to go ahead and sign the NPT provided all countries are ready to work together for the total elimination of weapons of mass destruction," an official said.

NPT is a failure in real as the largest Nuclear arsenal countries are not disarming them which was the real base from this NPT itself .

3 pillars of NPT .. non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use.

These five Nuclear Weapons States agree not to transfer "nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices" and "not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce" a non-nuclear weapon state (NNWS) to acquire nuclear weapons (Article I)

NNWS parties to the NPT agree not to "receive," "manufacture" or "acquire" nuclear weapons or to "seek or receive any assistance in the manufacture of nuclear weapons" (Article II).

NNWS parties also agree to accept safeguards by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify that they are not diverting nuclear energy from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices (Article III)

have the 5 nuclear weapons states have met this Article 1 ? We all know the answer

In my opinion, it would be better to abolish nuclear weapons, like chemical weapons. These destroy human race. My wish is to bring every one even the P5 to the same level of all nations. This would also stop rogue nations from developing one.

On a serious note, I fear our PM might give in to the US pressure, especially due to all that cribbing by many countries in the NSG meet.

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I myself have doubts on Dr. Singh. He is a pacifist and so is most of his government as seen in string of terrorist attacks that took place throughout 2008 in the country. Had China been the victim of 26/11, Southwest Asia's map would have changed a lot since the last november.

All that Indian public can do is pray that the incumbent pacifist government doesn't do anything of such nature and next election onwards be careful to elect a national leader who can actually lead a nation standing straight for his countrymen.

In my opinion, it would be better to abolish nuclear weapons, like chemical weapons. These destroy human race. My wish is to bring every one even the P5 to the same level of all nations. This would also stop rogue nations from developing one.

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In English language, that is called Utopian thinking, my friend. It is never going to happen. The taste of power is just too good to be ignored by any country.